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Uploaded: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 10:11 AM

Eshoo, Simitian host high-speed rail discussion
Congresswoman and state senator to hold joint meeting in Menlo Park Saturday

by Sean Howell
Almanac Staff

Posted by Remember, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 22, 2009 at 2:28 pm

Eshoo is a huge supporter of HSR. Remember that when the Berlin Wall divides Palo Alto in half.

Posted by Eleanor, a resident of the Community Center neighborhood, on Jul 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm

If Eshoo is a supporter of HSR, then those of us who are NOT supporters need to attend in force and show her and Simitian that we aren't buying it.

Posted by Bob Heinen, a resident of Menlo Park, on Jul 22, 2009 at 3:21 pm

Anna Eshoo and Joe Simitian, Thank you for the opportunity to speak with us about the impact of High Speed Rail on our community. We need an open process and we need to preserve our neighborhoods. The HSR Authority has never listened to the concerns of the local community, preferring to secure dollars for San Jose and predetermining the route of the HSR.

I encourage everyone in Menlo Park and in neighboring towns to attend this town hall meeting and learn more about the HSR process and voice your concern. We do not want a Berlin wall down the middle of our town or the peninsula.

The Cal Train corridor seems to be predetermined. Why is this? The Rail Authority will analyze other routes for other segments in California. Why not analyze other routes for the SJ-SF segment? The Authority’s insistence on fast-tracking the review and public participation process is misguided and will only lead to more opposition from local residents.

Posted by zebra, a resident of another community, on Jul 22, 2009 at 3:57 pm

Anna Eschoo supported HSR before the environmental analysis was even complete! Here's a link to the letter she sent in 2007.

Web Link=

Posted by P.A. Native, a resident of Mountain View, on Jul 22, 2009 at 4:39 pm

From Wiki "Berlin Wall"...

"During the Wall's existence there were around 5,000 successful escapes to West Berlin. The number of people who died trying to cross the wall or as a result of the wall's existence has been disputed. The most vocal claims by Alexandra Hildebrandt, Director of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and widow of the Museum's founder, estimated the death toll to be well above 200 [33], while an ongoing historic research group at the Center for Contemporary Historical Research (ZZF) in Potsdam has confirmed 136 deaths."

So when Palo Alto citizens repeatedly reference a proposed railway along an existing rail corridor to the Berlin Wall, they are being hyperbolic. That's putting it nicely too. Some may call it down right irrational and insulting to those who lived with the actual Berlin Wall.

Posted by Clem, a resident of another community, on Jul 22, 2009 at 7:23 pm

> The Cal Train corridor seems to be predetermined. Why is this?

Because the program EIR/EIS for the high speed rail project was approved in July 2008 following an extensive (and, if you're a bit cynical like me, biased) analysis of alternatives. That's when 101, 280, and all other Altamont corridor options were eliminated. That's when the railroad was approved to pass through lower peninsula towns. That's when Atherton and Menlo Park sued. If that lawsuit fails, as will be revealed in August, the Caltrain corridor selection will be legally cemented once and for all.

That being said, there were excellent technical reasons for selecting the Caltrain corridor. Web Link

As for a Berlin Wall through Palo Alto: that claim has been demonstrated to be quite an exaggeration, and most of the railroad is likely to stay right were it is, at grade. Web Link

The folks who cry Berlin Wall often advocate for tunnels, an option that will be far more disruptive to construct--besides being ridiculously expensive. Web Link

Sorry for all the link spam, but it's the only way not to repeat myself each time these questions come up.

Posted by Sharon, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 22, 2009 at 7:53 pm

There is an interesting analysis in todays WSJ about the booming business in the new telepresence technologies from Cisco, HP and other firms.

Many companies are adopting these systems as an alternate to business travel and are saving a lot of money while dramatically increasing business productivity.

HSR was designed before any of this technology was developed.

These new technologies have evaporated the need for HSR for business travelers.

[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Posted by Remember, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 22, 2009 at 8:20 pm

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Posted by Ada, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 9:42 am

What was removed by Palo Alto Online staff in the prior comment about new technologies as an alternative to physical travel???? This censorship is annoying, one thing is to remove utterly offensive language and another thing is butcher somebody's argument. Stop overcensoring!

Posted by Remember, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 10:17 am

Can someone tell me what's wrong with calling them "HSR-fetishists?" It's a very accurate description.

Posted by resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 10:58 am

Clem - You are wrong about tunnels being more disruptive to construct. Modern tunneling technology bores underground, creating no above-grade disruption. That means Caltrain can continue to run while HSR is being built. If we can get this train underground, and take Caltrain with it, it will give us an opportunity to reunite our communities in ways we never had before.

Being opposed to HSR does not solve any of the problems Caltrain will cause when it eventually has to separate all the grade crossings - only a tunnel can solve that.

Please tell that to Rep Eshoo and Sen Simitian!

Posted by Mike, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 11:27 am

The easiest way to quash forward movement on the HSR dividing Palo Alto is to move Ted Kennedy into one of the soon to be affected neighborhoods (Ted did a great hatchet job on a proposed wind power project slated for Martha's Vineyard.)

Even the most dedicated 'progressives' don't want their own personal quality of life adversely affected. If we can't get Teddy, then a host of others will do.

Posted by Bob Niederman, a resident of the Palo Alto Orchards neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 12:13 pm

Let's put it underground and make a green corridor 75 feet wide and 3 miles long, the length of Palo Alto. This would free up 25 acres to create an organic farm to train and feed Palo Alto children in how to grow food and care for each other and the earth. We could also create a bike path running the length of the city that would be virtually free of car traffic. It would also enable PA to create several more links along the Alma thorough fare. This green strip would do more for the long term survival of the environment than the high speed rail to Los Angeles because it has the power to change the minds of our young people.

Posted by rem, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 1:24 pm

How about a MEETING for a Commissary and Base Exchange at Moffett

It would be nice if The Bay Area Congressional Delegation (8th, PELOSI, NANCY/9th, LEE, BARBARA/12th, SPEIER, JACKIE/13th, STARK, PETE/14th, ESHOO, ANNA/15TH, HONDA, MICHAEL/16TH,LOFGREN, ZOE ) *CARED*…

IT would also be nice if our Senators CARED too…..

BUT Moffett Field is in Eshoo’s and Lofgren’s backyard so why should anyone else really CARE….

Please do something NOW.

At Moffett Field The Bay Area Congressional Delegation and our senatorial delegation needs to make a Base Exchange/Commissary combination their FIRST priority. The Bay Area Congressional Delegation needs to ask why is DeCA and AAFES not getting assistance in securing land on/at Moffett Field.

IT can be just one word – NOW.

It is time our (?) congressional and senatorial delegation get together…

Think of what the POWER of NINE people could do IF THEY REALLY CARED..

Posted by PAmoderate, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Jul 23, 2009 at 4:29 pm

Just heard that this meeting's been canceled...

Posted by Clem, a resident of another community, on Jul 23, 2009 at 8:47 pm

> Modern tunneling technology bores underground, creating no above-grade disruption.

If only that were true...

Tunnel boring machines, if that is the technology to which you refer, are one of the most expensive ways to build a tunnel, and they are unsuited to building four tracks. You would need at least two parallel bores, possibly three. Boring in unstable, water-saturated sedimentary soils may not even be possible, and even if it is, it often causes subsidence on the surface. TBM's are used only where absolutely necessary, where obstacles above ground prevent other techniques, such as under mountains or under densely built cities. Palo Alto is neither of those, and the Alma corridor is an ideal candidate for cut and cover construction, where a 100 foot wide open trench is dug in people's back yards. The construction impact of tunnels would be far worse than any other conceivable option.

If I had to guess, Palo Alto in 2025 will probably have a short rail trench under Churchill and another short trench under Charleston / Meadow. Everything else at grade, right where it is today. Unless Palo Alto taxes itself to build those cut & cover tunnels, that is...

Posted by calvin, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Jul 24, 2009 at 3:55 am

Look folks. None of you understand what's going on here. Mass transit projects are all about shifting federal, state and local tax dollars to two special interest groups in a very bipartisan way -- construction contracts go to republican contractors and the jobs the construction projects create, as well as the jobs after the projects are finished, go to democrat-supporting unions. These mass transit projects carry very few people. If BART or Caltrain disappeared tomorrow, you wouldn't notice the difference. Fewer than 2 percent of Bay Area residents use mass transit on a daily basis, according to MTC numbers. Only 5 percent use these systems at least once a month, MTC found. But these systems create make-work jobs (those of us older than 60 know what that means) for people who will vote for democrats like Eshoo and Simitian. So of course they support high-speed rail.

Posted by Frank, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Jul 24, 2009 at 7:15 am

> The Cal Train corridor seems to be predetermined. Why is this?

Because that is where the people live.

> So when Palo Alto citizens repeatedly reference a proposed railway along an existing rail corridor to the Berlin Wall, they are being hyperbolic. That's putting it nicely too.

Too true - next time you're in San Carlos take a look at their "Berlin Wall" - it's really not that bad and has better pedestrian / bicycle crossing facilities. It's easier to safely cross than it was before.

Regardless of HSR if we want to reduce the number of deaths because a train hits someone we will need to raise one or lower the other.

HSR would be a huge benefit to the bay area and to the state.